Tag Archives: 3d printing

Post navigation

The Maker Lab at Studio 300 has the Hic Top CR-10 3D Printer available for your 3D project. The CR-10 can print big models, the max printing size is 300x300x400mm/11x11x15 inches. Studio 300 has many PLA colors available @ .10 / gram. Here are the details:

Printing Size： 300*300*400mm

Printing accuracy：±0.1mm

Layer thickness: 0.05-0.4mm (adjustable)

Nozzle temp: 250 degree C

Extruder temperature: PLA: 210 C

Hot bed temperature: PLA: 60 C

Printing Speed：Normal: 80mm/s, Max.: 200mm/s

Materials：1.75mm PLA

Nozzle: 0.4mm

Stop by and check it out. Studio 300 staff will be on hand to answer questions and help you with your project during open shop hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 4-8 p.m. and Saturdays, 2-4 p.m.

The 3D printer in Studio 300 has seen a lot of action in the past 2 1/2 years.

MakerBot 3D Printer

We have printed some pretty cool stuff for our patrons. Occasionally, a patron asks for something unique and the results can be amazing. That’s the case with this guitar stand pictured..

Designed completely from scratch, we printed 3 pieces at an 80% fill (almost solid plastic) and our patron then painted the finished items black. When combined with several other pieces, the stand is complete.

Completed Guitar Stand

Printing useful objects is what 3D printing is all about. The Studio 300 3D printer offers almost endless possibilities in the 3D world. If you’re new to 3D printing, check out the Makerbot or stop by Studio 300 for a first hand look at this exciting technology!

Studio 300 recently added several new filaments for use with our 3D printer.

The new colors are Blue Glow (it glows in the dark!), Red, Orange, Magenta, Gold and Green. You can create your own 3D models using the free program Sketchup. Or use a pre-existing design by visiting thingiverse.com.

We are excited to announce the addition of new, flexible plastic for our 3D printer. Instead of the hard plastic models, you now have the option to print rubber-like models as the image shows. Right now we only have the color red, but we plan to add more colors in the future. The flexible plastic costs slightly higher at $0.20 per gram.

Stop by Studio 300 to see (and squeeze) the new choice and consider using it on your next 3D print project.

During the holiday season, it is a time for selflessness and caring. A time for being thankful for what we have in our lives. One thing that Studio 300 is thankful for is when our 3D printer works. Although you may see several fun and interesting items made from the 3D printer in Studio 300, what you don’t hear is the back story about the making of these unique plastic creations.

Sometimes the printing doesn’t go quite as planned:

From clogged extruders, tangled plastic, failed designs, and general havoc – the MakerBot 3D printer can be a stubborn machine. Our solution? Patience and occasionally leaving it some flowers and chocolates while whispering soothing words of encouragement (just kidding). But when it all goes well, the results are often amazing.

Just in case you didn’t feel the 3D printer was cool enough, here’s a 3D-printed Rubiks Cube used to control lights on a building.

Sound complicated? It’s not really. All you need are some electronic components such as a Bluetooth modem, an Arduino, and some sensors, plus 3D-printed colorless pieces made into a Rubiks Cube all connected to some computer software. (O.K. it’s a little complicated). With all this in place, you’re ready to solve the biggest Rubiks Cube ever! (Oh yeah, you also need a large building with a lot ( a LOT) of LED lights.

Read about “This Puzzle Facade” by Javier Lloret located in the city of Linz, Austria here. Watch the video below:

Knowing how to make the 3D-printed pieces is a great place to start when contemplating a project this large. Here at Studio 300 we can show you how to get started. Check out our program calendar for our 3D Design and Print class that shows how to use Google SketchUp to design your own 3D model.

Do you have great 3D design ideas but don’t have the resources to print them? Here at Studio 300 we can help you design those ideas using software such as SketchUp and Blender and then print it with our Makerbot Printer. We use a plastic filament that’s great for many designs and prototypes.

However, if you’re looking for something to last a long time or be able to eat or drink from, Shapeways is a great site to check out. They offer stainless steel and gold plated brass that’s perfect for jewelry, sandstone that can produce photo-realistic color designs and food safe glazed ceramic. Pricing differs depending on what material and size you choose plus shipping and handling. We recommend you print a plastic prototype here at Studio 300 to test your design before you choose a more expensive material.

While there are many 3D and CAD modeling programs out there, none are as simple to use as Google’s SketchUp. If you’re not familiar with 3-dimensional programs, then SketchUp may seem daunting at first. But once you figure out the basics, it’s easy to design logos, furniture, and even houses.

If you’re familiar with most computer programs, especially drawing programs, you’ll notice some similar tools. The select tool, pencil, paint bucket, magnifying glass, and different shapes are some of the tools in SketchUp that you will recognize right away. To do to start designing, take the line or the shapes tool and click anywhere, move your mouse to the length or size you like and click again.

Just remember that you are working in a 3D landscape, so it is easy to get lost! Using the scroll wheel on the mouse to zoom in and out. Stick to the x, y and z axis when drawing lines and shapes and that will make the whole 3D atmosphere a lot less intimidating. Try to imagine the screen as the viewfinder to a camera that can pan, tilt, zoom and reposition anywhere you’d like.

Earlier this month, Studio 300 presented their first 3D Design & Printing for Teens class. Students eagerly took over the studio computers and dove into the exciting and complicated new world of designing objects in a virtual 3 dimensional world and bringing them to reality with our 3D printer.

The class began with discussion about the fundamentals of 3D design and possible uses for 3D printed objects. Everyone had their own ideas – from jewelry like necklaces and earrings, to scale models of buildings for use in architecture and design, to scale models for prototyping.

Other questions were asked that sparked discussion about the essentials of 3D design. What can be printed? What cannot? What kind of designs could be constructed that would print best? Large objects (over 5in x 5in x 11in) certainly would be impossible for even our modest Makerbot, while very small intricately detailed objects are also a limitation of the printer. The material that is being printed has other limitations such as sensitivity to heat and pressure, and an inability to flex also inhibits some designs.

The class then learned about some of the software (most of it free!) that can be used to create 3D models, and began learning a free downloadable software called SketchUp made by Google. The basics of the software’s workflow were learned, as well as the tools to create and manipulate objects. The learning curve for design in 3 dimensions is a bit steep, but these tech-savvy teens picked it up, ran with it and were creating objects in no time.

The students were then given a task – create their idea of a dream house while keeping in mind the structural limitations of the Makerbot printer. after only 45 minutes, these teens had created amazing and fun designs, from cylindrical silos and contemporary country estates to abstract minimalist apartments and biohazard arch-villain hideouts!